Always
By: SilverLunarStar
Disclaimer: I hold no claim over Inuyasha and co. I am only a fan who owns a few episodes and the first two movies on DVD. The flashbacks also do not belong to me; they are pretty much word for word from the movie.
Warning: BIG TIME SPOILERS FOR Inuyasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass.
"Go back home Higurashi!" His voice is cold but his eyes betray him, for the clear amber shine with concern, despair and… love?
"Inu-Inuyasha?" She steps closer to him, her hands reaching out.
"Get away from me wench!" He growls, stepping back.
"It wasn't your fault!" she screams. Can't he understand? 'No,' she decides. 'He doesn't understand.'
Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara can only look on, silently.
Inuyasha looks down at his hands.
If any normal Ningen were to see them they'd wonder: 'What's wrong with them?' His nose knows better, though. One good whiff and he can smell blood. Kagome's blood… In the few times he has turned Youkai, he has never, not once, harmed Kagome…until now.
Flashback
Kaguya shot two, twisted red vines.
One headed towards Miroku, which hit his arm and the other embedded in Inuyasha's chest.
She then stepped in the middle of her giant mirror, sword still at hand. She stood in the middle of the pentagram and the symbols of the elements glowed on each point. Raising a hand, she moved her small, golden framed mirror, in front of her. "Look Inuyasha," she said, "the black soul that lives within your heart." She aimed the mirror at him, showing Inuyasha as a demon, his eyes red.
He staggered a bit. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.
"This is the form you truly desire," she replied. "I will grant that wish." Raising her left hand, her index and middle finger out, she started chanting.
The demon Inuyasha seemed to pulsate, as if trying to escape from the mirror.
Inuyasha's amber eyes widened as he pulsated.
The demon Inuyasha seemed to be concentrating hard, trying to take over.
Inuyasha hunched.
"Inuyasha," cried Kagome, worried. "Inuyasha!" She struggled to get out of her prison.
Inuyasha tried to fight as he felt his demon blood engulf him.
"Night is the domain I rule over," chanted Kaguya. It looked like she had multiplied but the clones weren't solid. "Darkness is the power I desire." The Kaguyas surrounded him as he struggled to maintain control. "Release your true form that you see within the mirror!"
Lifting his head up, his eyes revealed pure white, a jagged purple stripe on each cheek, yet he still struggled, barring his fangs.
"Inuyasha," Sango called out, as she, Kirara and Kohaku tried getting up.
"He's beginning to transform into a Youkai." Shippo panicked behind Miroku.
"However, it's different this time." Miroku observed, holding his injured arm.
"No! You must not transform!" Kagome exclaimed, struggling to get out.
Inuyasha glanced up and down, all in one second, his hands up, fangs and claws growing.
The Inuyasha in the mirror throbbed once, settled down, pulsated again, put his hands down and bowed his head, hiding his white eyes behind his bangs.
"Look, the Inuyasha in the mirror appears to be turning into a hanyo," Sango noticed.
Kohaku, who had finally risen, turned to see.
"This is your real nature. Become a true Youkai as you wish," Kaguya said. "Seal your human blood within this mirror forever!" she ordered, as the Inuyasha in the mirror beat twice.
Kagome's eyes widened, her mouth open in shock.
"What would that mean?" Shippo wondered.
"It means that once he turns into a true Youkai, he will never be able to revert to his hanyo form," Miroku explained gravely.
"Nani?"
Standing up and sheathing her sword, Sango opposed. "But Inuyasha should be able to stop himself from transforming."
Kohaku also stood.
"This is the world within the mirror," Miroku countered. "It could be that the darkness in his heart is stronger here."
"So, you're saying that he's just a violent monster?"
"Indeed."
Sango removed Hiraikotsu from where it landed. "If I smash that mirror, it'll stop."
The twisted red vines aimed at her.
"Aneue!" called out Kohaku as he ran towards her.
Sango ran forward and, upon seeing the vines, moved to defend herself with her Hiraikotsu, but was pushed back.
"Aneue!" Just as he reached his sister, two more vines grabbed him.
The vines trapped both of them separately, Kohaku just under Sango, and the vines turned brown, similar to tree branches.
Kirara tried to help them out, but another two fines trap the hi-neko too.
"Kirara!" Sango called out.
Kirara struggled to escape, but to no avail.
Kagome looked on in worry.
"Kagome! I'll get you out of this now." Nearing the glowing pink pentagram, he was shocked.
Miroku goes to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, please get a hold of yourself." He placed his hands on the changing hanyo's shoulders. "Do you intend to sell your soul to Kaguya and forget about us?"
Apparently the Monk's words weren't getting through to Inuyasha; for when he raised his head, he slashed Miroku with his sharp claws.
Kagome looked on, eyes filled with sorrow.
Miroku landed on the ground, clutching his chest.
"This is how it should be," Kaguya commented, her gaze the complete opposite of Kagome's. "You can gain true freedom once you free the power of darkness."
"Kagome-sama, Inuyasha is still hesitating," Miroku said weakly. "But we cannot do anything. Only you can stop him!"
Kagome stared at him.
"I've never wanted the Kazana as badly as I do right now…" He looked at his now void-less hands.
The Inuyasha in the mirror pulsated again and his dog ears disappeared, his silver hair turned black.
Inuyasha's white eyes bled red, his arms extended upward.
"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome screamed, struggling from her bonds. "NOOO!!" Her eyes tear.
Suddenly, the Shikon no Kakera in the jar around her neck start glowing.
She looked down at them. "The Shikon Shards?" She turned to her Kit. "Shippo-chan, please."
Shippo looked up at her.
"Take my Shikon Shards."
He stood up. "O-okay."
"Throw them straight at me!" she ordered.
The Kitsune climbed up her to grab the jar. "Alright," he agrees.
The Inuyasha in the mirror throbbed again, revealing violet orbs through half-opened lids.
"Here goes!" Shippo threw the jar at Kagome, as she told him to do.
The jar floated in front of her chest, weakening the bonds just enough for her to break them. When she did, the pentagram dissipated.
The jar fell but Shippo caught it.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome went straight to him. She put her hands on his arms and slightly buried her face into his haori. "Stop it!" she cried. "Please! Don't transform!" Noticing that he raised his hands, she looked up at him.
Dark turquoise irises appeared in the never-ending sea of red.
"Inuyasha…" Her eyes glazed with tears.
"Whatever you do will be useless," Kaguya warned. "What's left of his human heart has been completely sealed in this mirror. He will never be able to revert to his hanyo form."
The now-human Inuyasha in the mirror opened his eyes completely, pulsating one last time.
"Kagome, get away from him," Shippo called out, worried for his surrogate mother. "He'll kill you!" he cried out, jumping around in anxiety.
"I like you as a hanyo Inuyasha!" She buried her face in his haori again, tightening her grip on hi. I like you the way you are now, she remembered telling him before, when they had sat together near the fire and under the night sky, the stars and full moon hanging overhead. Wouldn't you be fine the way you are?
Inuyasha shook his head from side to side. All he saw in his head were several Kaguya's. Then, just past them, he saw Kagome running towards him, calling out to him.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!!" She ran closer.
Inuyasha also started running towards her, claws extended, they flashed.
Cherry blossoms suddenly started floating around where Kagome now stood, her uniform and hair swayed with the 'imaginary' wind. "I like you as a hanyo, Inuyasha," she said softly.
Inuyasha's dark turquoise irises looked at her, shocked; they contracted but his eyes still bled. Outside his mind, he had his arms around her, his silver hair floating.
"What's the matter Inuyasha?" questioned Kaguya. "Why are you hesitating?" She raised her index and middle fingers again, chanting.
He took his hands off the small of Kagome's back, struggling until he suddenly dug his claws into her arms.
Kagome gritted her teeth in pain, so as not to let out a painful cry. 'How can I stop him from transforming?' she contemplated. She looked up and saw him struggling, her chocolate eyes filling with tears. Finally, out of pure instinct, she raised herself to face him, closed her eyes and planted her lips onto his.
Little Shippo's face turned a dark shade of red that could almost rival the Inuyasha's current eye color. He turned to hide his face near a bench, but he peaked somewhat.
Sango stared. "Kagome-chan…"
"Now, release the beast that lies within you," Kaguya ordered as she finished chanting. "Give me that young girl's body."
'Inuyasha…' Her tears fell. 'We always want to be together, don't we?'
Suddenly, his crimson eyes fade to white, his stripes disappeared and his pupils appeared as their usual warm amber. He removed his claws from her arms, they shortened to their normal length and his hands pressed gently onto the injuries.
The human Inuyasha within the mirror closed his eyes and the mirror cracked.
"What is happening?" Kaguya stared at her precious mirror, little pink orbs falling around her. She looked at the now hanyo and the Ningen shoujo.
'Kagome…' Inuyasha's eyes closed and he pressed his lips onto hers, returning the kiss.
"What is this?" Shippo questioned.
The glowing orbs fell all around them.
When they separated, Kagome asked worriedly, "Inuyasha, you're alright now, aren't you?" She gazed straight into his amber irises.
"Kagome!" he wrapped one arm around her shoulder, the other on top of her raven head, pressing her to him.
Miroku stood up and turned to Sango.
"Idiot…" Inuyasha mumbled. "You're always so reckless." He tightened his grip. "I'll stay a hanyo a little longer, for you."
Kagome nodded.
End of Flashback
Inuyasha growls at himself. 'I had not right to hold her like that!' Unable to look at her, he runs into the trees.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome calls out; her hands reach out to him. She sighs in disappointment as he disappears from sight.
"What are you waiting for? Go after him!" Sango practically orders.
Not needing to be told twice, Kagome runs off in the direction Inuyasha went to. "Inuyasha, Inuyasha!" she calls out.
'Stupid girl, coming here by herself,' the hanyo scolds at her mentally.
Feeling his aura nearby, she takes out all frustration in one word, "OSUWARI!!" She turns, hearing something pound into the ground.
"Damn wen-" He lifts his head up as they spell subdues and is met with a pair of fiery chocolate eyes.
"YOU'RE A BAKA! YOU KNOW THAT?! BAKA, BAKA, baka hanyo…" she screams out, however, her voice lowers as it cracks, tears fill her eyes and they cascade down her cheeks. Falling to her knees, she throws her arms around him.
Inuyasha winces, hearing her shout, his ears twitch frantically. They suddenly drop, though, as he hears the sorrow in her voice. He visibly stiffens as he feels her arms wrap around him. "Iie Kagome, get away from me! You never know when-when I might turn against you," he weakly protests, trying to push her away.
She will have none of this though and she tightens her grip on him.
His ears flatten completely on his silver hair, camouflaged by it and he recalls her injuries.
"You think I care about that? Well here's a newsflash for you Inuyasha: I don't give a fuck! Don't you get it?" She lifts her head from his shoulder and says, "I love you!" She sobs, her anger dissipates.
His eyes widen, shock, sadness, delight and confusion jumbles within him. He's surprised at the word she used; she has been around him for too long. (Although, at the same time, not enough for him. Talk about an oxymoron… Yes, he does so know big words. This can be blamed on her. Too much studying on her part and he can't help but pick up a thing or two.) As his mind registers her concluding statement, he thinks, 'How can she love me? Does she really? Demo, I'm just a filthy half-breed! She can't love me! She shouldn't love me!' He stares at her, looking into her chocolate orbs, searching for a spark of deceit. He finds none. Finally, he wraps his arms around her. "Doushite? Do?"
"You want to know why and how?"
He vaguely nods.
"I love you for you. No matter the form you take. Whether you're Ningen, hanyo or Youkai, you are you. You are Inuyasha." She runs her hand through his silver tresses. "Whether you have silver or black hair, dog ears or not," she continues, caressing a snowy ear, noticing how it straightens, before it starts twitching, "or if you have violet, amber or red and turquoise eyes. For me you'll always be Inuyasha."
Inuyasha gulps, not knowing what to say. Correction, he knows what to say, he just doesn't know how to say it.
As he contemplates, Kagome looks at him in a calm manner, the complete opposite of how she feels. 'Now why did I say that? Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut? I know he doesn't feel the same,' she thinks sadly. When she loosens her grip on him, she feels him press her closer to him. 'Nani?'
"Stupid wench," he mumbles, burying his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.
Kagome closes her eyes, but they snap open as she feels a pair of warm lips skim over her neck. "Inu-Inuyasha." She shudders.
Nipping her neck, he moves to face her. "You really are naïve, aren't you?" Before she can counter, he goes on, "But then, you wouldn't be you. You're so pure and kind-hearted. You accept anyone for what they are and are willing to help them, whether you know them or not. Your smile can brighten anyone's day; you're beautiful, inside and out." He pauses, grinning mischievously, seeing her blush, he adds, "Even when you're mad. In fact, I think it makes you all the more attractive, the way your scent spikes up. It's always sweet, but when you're angry, it gets stronger." He presses his forehead onto hers. "But you know what?" he asks, his voice suddenly husky.
"What?" she whispers, gulping.
"I always wanted to know if you taste as sweet as you smell," he admits, like a curious child. With that, he dips his head forward, capturing her lips in a more passionate kiss than before. At first, they're mere butterfly kisses, but slowly he starts nipping at her lower lip, cautiously, so he won't injure her.
Kagome can't help the shudder that goes down her spine as she moans, opening her mouth to welcome the gentle thrusts of his tongue.
A few minutes of tongue-dueling, exploring each other's mouth, they part, trying to catch their breath.
Kagome looks at him.
A smile graces Inuyasha's face, suppressing a smirk as he sees her puffy lips. "I love you Kagome. My Kagome." He plants one last, gentle kiss.
She smiles, capturing his lips with hers, but all of a sudden parts from him. "What about Kikyo?" she asks, looking down.
"What about her?"
"I-"
"Kagome, you're a smart girl. You should know by now that I don't love her. I don't think I ever did. She was the first person who understood me, but she could never accept me for who I was, am, unlike you, who accepts me in any form."
By this time, Kagome already has tears in her eyes.
"Don't cry, onegai," he begs, wiping her tears, careful not to scratch her.
"I-I don't know what to say Inuyasha. I never thought you would love me back-"
"Silly girl, how could I not?"
They stay in each other's arms for a while longer.
Suddenly, Kagome yawns.
"Mmm…?" he mumbles.
"Sumimasen," she says, sheepishly. "Demo, we haven't slept all day."
Inuyasha nods, smiling. Without another word, he picks her up, bridal style.
"Inuyasha! What are you doing?" she says, startled.
"You're tired and I'm at your service."
She giggles a bit.
Silently, they make their way back to their friends.
"Kagome?" the hanyo suddenly breaks the silence.
"Nani?" the miko of the future questions softly.
"When this is all over and we defeat Naraku, will you stay? As my mate?" He looks away from her as they land behind some trees, close to where their friends have settled down for camp. Feeling a warm hand on his cheek, he turns to face two glittering, chocolate orbs.
"I'd love to."
With that, Inuyasha's lips take hers in another passionate embrace.
Owari
I hope you all enjoyed this little ficlet! I wrote this back in… 2004? 2005? along with my other one-shot "Acts of Love." That's why they're kind of similar. After I wrote one, the other followed.
I really wanted to write and post this because I felt the 2nd movie needed a better ending than just shrugging Kagome sacrificing herself and expressing just how much she loves our favorite baka hanyo.
Thanks for taking the time reading this and I hope you'll take a couple of minutes to review!
Gokigenyo!
Eli